Local/Regional

The summer of 2011 will be remembered as a scorcher.The heat translated into record electric usage for the month of July. Pennsylvania Power and Light spokesman, Joe Nixon says the usage for July passed the consumption from two other years, where levels were extremely high.

“Electric sales were 2.4 percent higher in July of 2011 than July of 10 and July of 2006, which were very hot summers"


Nixon adds, Saturday July 23d signaled the company’s highest ever weekend peak. The company did not experience any brownouts and did not have to issue mandatory cutbacks.  
PP&L serves electric customers in Perkasie and Hatfield.

State Rep. Bob Godshall says, there are a variety of items from paint to spray that need proper disposal after being used. Godshall says two grants are coming to Hatfield
Township.

“What it amounts to is about two or three thousand dollars a year, about 50-percent of the cost of the program. The funds allows the township to hire an host inspector to oversee how used items, like paint and spray cans and other household items with chemical content are disposed. These items need to be properly handled.”


The money allows the township to hire a host inspector to oversee the types of waste that are being thrown away.The yearly grant comes out to just over 26-hundred dollars.

45-thousand Verizon workers, represented by the Communications Workers of America, hit the picket lines at midnight August 6th. Some striking Verizon workers were outside a Verizon facility in Lansdale yesterday on Broad Street. CWA Rep. and Verizon worker, Pat O’Kane says, the company has ignored the union regarding a new contract. O’Kane says there’s another issue is also cause for deep concern.

“They want to contract out all our work to non-union employees who make half of what we make and that’s unfortunate for the public because they’re not trained as well and you’ll be having an unknown coming in your to install your Fios. By the way Fios is a product that is selling very well and is very profitable. It’s a compant\y that is making 10-Billion dollars a year and there’s no reason we should be out on strike right now.”

O’kane says reports of Verizon union workers being unruly are not true. O’kane also calls Verizon C-E-O Lowell McAdam the greediest C-E-O in the history of the company. O’kane says mcadam earns 55-thousand dollars a day, but tells Verizon workers that they’re making too much money. Calls placed to Verizon by WNPV were not returned.

Support for a new communication system in Montgomery County continues to keep its head above water. Souderton Borough Council passed a resolution last night saying that it would purchase five radios, if the county eventually moves forward with upgrading its emergency system. Leasing the radios, when and if that day comes, would cost the Borough 850 dollars to lease them or pay 7-thousand dollars for each radio. In addition to the money for the radios, boroughs and townships would have to come up with a combined 17 million dollars for the proposed 48-million dollar communication system. The county has 78-hunder radios, but over 24-hundred are outdated, according to Deputy Director of Public Safety, Sean Petty.  Meanwhile, Montgomery County Commissioners are at odds over the initiative and are currently contemplating the idea of sending the issue to a voter referendum.